What makes our homesitters tick? New research published

We recently surveyed our homesitters to find out what they enjoy and value most about their job, as well as the top benefits they gain from home and pet sitting and some of the challenges they face.

Most of our respondents (70%) were aged 65 plus and this reflects the fact that many of our homesitters are active retired people.

According to our research, the top three benefits of home and pet sitting are looking after people’s pets, followed by the chance to explore the UK and to stay in nice homes. Many also valued the opportunity it provides to break away from the usual routine.

Three-quarters said they appreciate the extra income that home and pet sitting provides for their retirement.

Our homesitters also told us that they believe the top three benefits for clients are, “knowing they will return to a happy pet and a tidy home”, followed by having “someone to look after their pets” and “keeping the house secure”.

Interestingly, homesitting doesn’t come without its challenges. Learning how everything works in the home is the number one challenge of the role according to 48% of homesitters, followed by taking on the responsibility of securing the home (37%).

Other challenges included, “working out the recycling policy of the local council”, “coping with complicated appliances such as Agas”, “getting in tune with the sounds the home makes on the first few nights” and “dealing with different alarm systems.”

While most homesitters mainly look after cats and dogs, some of the assignments have involved more unusual animals including pygmy goats, peacocks, chinchillas, donkeys, bearded dragons, poisonous tree frogs, snakes, tarantulas and even a hawk who was fed on live mice.

The homsitters we employ are free to pick and choose which assignments appeal to them.

We also provide full support and insurance when they are on assignment, and it seems that these are some of the reasons they like working with us.

The homesitters surveyed said they most value the variety of assignments offered to them and the fact they can always call our 24/7 365 days a year back up support if they have a problem when they are on assignment.

We have experienced strong business growth in recent times, and we are actively recruiting more homesitters across the UK.

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a homesitter, please click here.